Tom Hiddleston Talks About "The Hollow Crown" And Social Media--Remains Flawless While Doi
A few days ago Tom Hiddleston paid the barber a visit and promptly the shop snapped a picture of him sitting in the chair, looking somewhat in a somber way into the camera. Another shot revealed that the small shop seemed to be crowded with paparazzi.
He just sat there with a slightly absent look in his eyes, almost as if he divorced himself for a few moment from his reality.
Thh picture is now circulating on Tumblr, Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram and will continue to do so for a long time.
It did make me curious.
How do things happen in a celebrity's life?
Did Hiddleston simply walk around and then decided on a whim to go to a barber? Did he call in advance to make an appointment? Were they expecting him? Did they in turn ask him if they could use his visit as a way to promote their business?
Were the paparazzi informed before he made his way to the barber? Were they already following him around, from the moment he left his house? Were they called by the shop?
If he wanted to avoid paparazzi would he not have someone come to his house or vice versa?
I know that the most common comments to his situation are: "Leave the poor man alone!" and "He is entitled to his private life."
Actors, singers, anyone really who are celebrities, have to navigate their exposure to media. Being famous in this business doesn't have to do (much) with vanity. It's more a part of work, another aspect.
A lot of it is out of their control; before they're famous, no one cares, but once they landed a big role, everyone wants a piece of them. It's not hard to see how this sudden change can be shocking: arriving at a hotel and experiencing the onslaught of photographers and fans for the first time, must be difficult, albeit (perhaps) flattering. I am sure, no media rep, no publicist, no PA, however well trained can full prepare one for this moment.
What at first may be flattering, quickly becomes annoying, tiresome or downright scary but it remains a necessity. Constant exposure is necessary to stay in people's minds. Once a star reaches the caliber and status of a Jack Nicholson, Marlon Brando or Robert Redford, sure it's possible to get (mostly) rid of that pesky aspect of fame. Actors like Al Pacino, Robert de Niro or Meryl Streep protect themselves very well from Paparazzi because they don't need them any longer.
The only control celebrities can maintain seems to be to be selective about the media outlets-it's one thing to be in magazines like "People", another to do fashion shootings for the US Vogue and GQ. Do celebs make these decisions (or their media teams)? Or is it rather the magazines themselves who decide who to stalk and cover. Notice how some celebs are in these kind of magazines almost weekly, but some never?
Tom Hiddleston though? I don't think he has reached that level of fame where he can afford to not make himself available for paparazzi. In between glamour shots, filming, award galas, these pics of him leaving the cafe or attending Wimbledon keep his popularity up.
I am not 100% but I'd think that Hollywood producers look at things like Twitter, all sorts of rankings and awards when hiring relatively new talents.
I find interesting that Hemsworth rakes in roles like James Hunt in Rush (co-starring with Daniel Brühl, who is an excellent actor and in my opinion a scene stealer, though not as attractive as Hemsworth) and Snow White and The Huntsman, both of them block busters, while Hiddleston returns to Indie movies after his stint as Loki. Admittedly, Jim Jarmusch is the blockbuster of Indie movies, so it's not exactly downgrading but it's an interesting contrast to Hemsworth's path.
One could argue, that Hiddleston's career choices are conscious efforts to remain authentic as an actor and maintain a level of quality, although I have the slight suspicion that if that were so, he wouldn't have signed a contract with cut-throat Marvel for five movies.
The entire Free Loki campaign showcased an amusing situation. The response within the Thor and Avengers fandom was enthusiastic, but newspapers are happy to paint an unflattering picture of his fans.
I, as a Hiddleston devotee :P was surprised the petition didn't get hundred thousand signatures within a week. 23000 signatures is not bad I guess, but it means not even 10% of his Twitter followers want to see him in a Loki movie.
The way I see it is, even if that petition gets, say 50,000 votes he won't get that movie (and wouldn't even want it). It's not likely to happen-but a successful petition would raise his value in Hollywood, and more producers and studios would consider calling Hiddleston and he'd have in consequence more roles to pick from, which would be a good thing.
And now I shall shut up about this perfect being and let you ogle the pretty man in peace ;)
Originally posted by brent360 at Tom Hiddleston Talks About "The Hollow Crown" And Social Media--Remains Flawless While Doing So
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